Felix dealt with the wagon driver quickly, and instead of leaving him on the street, as we'd done previously, Felix tied him up and stuck him in the back with the terrified Forcadelians.
"So we don't leave a witness," he said. "We've got a few of them locked in a room at the convent."
"Smart," I said, climbing aboard the carriage. "Shall we?"
"Actually," he pointed to the roofs, "you're up top. Make sure the roads are clear."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're taking to this vigilante stuff a little too well."
"Or you're just rusty," he said, flashing a cheery grin.
I returned with an offensive gesture before climbing up to the roofs. The road was clear as far as I could see, so I waved at him to continue. He replied with a whistle—Confirmed—and another pleased smirk before cracking the reins and goading the horse forward.
Our pace was slow, as I had to move ahead to ensure the coast was clear. Luckily, the horse's hooves on the sandy road made little sound, and except for the occasional squeak of the wheel and groan of the carriage, there were no other signs that we were on the move. Every so often, I whistled back to Felix to stop as a patrol crossed the street. And as we inched closer to the outer rim of the city, the Severian patrols dwindled to zero.
I glanced back at the red-rimmed sky behind me. Losing all that art would be a blow to Ilara, but no one had died, so I should've been happy about it. Especially as the distraction helped us get these Forcadelians out of harm's way.
Felix stopped the carriage as we reached the edge of the packed sand road, and I hurried over to help the Forcadelians out the back. There were more kids than the first time we'd done this, and I had no illusions that Ilara would take care of them as well as the Severian children.
"Do you see that collection of stars that look like a misshapen box?" I said, as I walked the final person to the edge of the city. A few of them squinted in the distance and nodded. "Walk in that direction for roughly half an hour until you find it. There's food and water and beds for all you."
"At least food and water," Felix said. "And you should go with them."
"I will, as soon as I help you dispose of this carriage," I replied, walking back to him. "We can't just leave it here."
"I'll take care of it," Felix said. "We've got a couple of them stashed around the city in case we need them. Nowhere close to here, though."
"Good thinking," I said.
"You seem continually surprised that I have good ideas lately," he said, taking the horse by the reins and leading it in a large circle to head back to the city. "I can't tell if I should be insulted by that."
"Just go," I said with a smile. "And be careful."
My group of Forcadelians hadn't gotten very far, so I hurried to the front to lead them. A young mother had two children with her, so I took one of the younger kids on my back. It made the walk over the sand that much more difficult, but I didn't mind.
A cry of joy echoed from behind me when the convent came into view. When we reached the front door, the sentries opened both doors, bowing to me.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty," one said. "And welcome, brothers and sisters."
The church was still as magnificent as ever, except now it was absolutely filled with people. They sat in pews and on the floor, many of them eating small pieces of fruit or bread. Felix's quip about them having food but not beds made a lot more sense.
"Her Majesty has arrived!" called a young boy, jumping to his feet.
A hush descended over the room as every eye turned on me, drinking me in as if I were the most amazing thing they'd ever seen.
"My queen."
"Your Majesty."
One by one, they rose and bowed their heads to me, some of them hinging at the hip to bow fully. Two ladies curtseyed with their makeshift skirts.
"I'm glad you've all found your way here," I said, smiling. "We'll keep adding to your numbers, so I thank everyone for being patient with us. I wish that we were having this greeting back in Forcadel, but I'm thankful to see all you just the same."
"What can we do to help?" one of the ladies asked.
"Right now, the most helpful thing is to stay here, out of sight," I said. "We're undertaking a delicate operation to move even more soldiers into the city, and the last thing we need is for Ilara to find out about it." I smiled at a young girl, who was staring up at me with wide eyes. "Take care of each other, and listen to General Llobrega and his soldiers." I nodded. "We will survive this, and we will see our homeland again."
They cheered, and I winced at the sound, hoping that it didn't travel.
"You really have taken to this queen role."
I looked up at the familiar voice, finding Kieran leaning against the wall, something like pride on his face. He had a large scar on his cheek that was new, but his eyes were as mischievous as ever.
"I heard you brought Felix here," I said. "Where's the rest of your crew?"
"Anchored near the mouth of the bay to receive the Kulkan warships when they arrive," he said. "I've just come ashore to provide an update to your dear General Llobrega, as he asked, and to grab some supplies for my ship." He tilted his head in my direction. "My crew send their love."
"I'm sure Sarala isn't counted in that number."
He winced and averted his gaze for a moment before resuming his cavalier mask.
I nodded to the mark on his cheek. "Nice scar."
"A mooring hit me the wrong way."
"You're usually pretty good at ducking."
"I was distracted." He smiled tightly. "Would it be too bold to ask for forgiveness? I did deliver your general and his vigilantes safe and sound."
"Tell me what happened to Sarala," I said softly.
"She decided she'd had enough of my nonsense."
"Kieran," I said with a look. "What did he do to her?"
He exhaled, looking at the floor. "Drowned her, slowly." He swallowed hard. "Made me watch."
My heart seized in my chest, and I balled my fist in fury. "He'll suffer a similar fate if he hasn't already. I'm sorry that—"
"We all accepted the choices that we made," he said. "Sarala actually respected you."
"No, she didn't. She called me a war-mongering princess," I said. "Took me a long time to shake that from my mind."
"Perhaps she saw the error of her ways, especially as Ilara's hooks sank deeper and deeper into the city. We wouldn't be here if we didn't believe in what you were trying to do."
"I'm sorry she was caught up in this," I said softly. "Even if she did have a change of heart."
"I doubt she'll be the last." He straightened. "It's getting late. Perhaps it's time to get you back to the castle." He cracked a grin as he nodded over my shoulder. "I'd take you myself, but then your general wouldn't have the pleasure of giving you that goodnight kiss he's so looking forward to."
I turned to find Felix standing there, scrutinizing Kieran with something like jealousy. But he merely cleared his throat and held out his hand. "It's getting late, Brynn. I don't want Ilara noticing you're gone."
Felix and I headed out immediately, walking the now-familiar path back to the old part of the city before taking to the rooftops. My short nap earlier had been barely enough to stave off the exhaustion, and staying out all night was starting to catch up with me.
But even as sleep threatened to overtake me, I couldn't help but ask Felix to sit on a roof with me and watch the stars. Our moments together had been so few and far between, and if I could have just a breath with him, it would be enough to sweeten my dreams for the next decade.
"Five minutes," he said, wagging his finger at me. "Then you're back to bed."
"If only you could go with me," I said, smiling up at him.
"Unfair."
He plopped down on the rooftop and tugged me down next to him. I curled up under his chin, inhaling his scent and taking this moment to be truly happy. The gallery fire was still visible from here, a reminder of the mood I'd find at the breakfast table. I just prayed Ilara didn't take it out on an innocent.
"I hope we hear news from Katarine soon," he whispered, rubbing my back. "Or from Jax."
"We should keep up the pressure in the meantime," I said. "Which means…I may not be able to come out tomorrow night. More ships seem to be arriving every night, and sooner or later, Ilara's guards are going to notice people aren't showing up where they need to be. She's going to cast blame on me, and I need to have a solid alibi, like I did tonight with that fire."
"Then it's a good thing we have more hands to cause trouble with," he replied. "Where should we start?"
"The art gallery was a nice target, but we should vary our efforts." I told him of all the different merchants who'd been in attendance for dinner the past few nights, and gave him some ideas of how he might disrupt their operations.
He nodded, listening intently. "I'll try to do you proud." He cracked a smile. "I never did tell you how I got Ammon to cough up those ships, did I?"
"He didn't adhere to the terms of our bargain?" I feigned surprise. "I'm aghast."
"We had some knockout powder, took over one of the ships, and moved it out into the open bay. Then we took another, empty cargo ship and put it in its place. Then…"
"You set it on fire," I said with a shake of my head. "Felix Llobrega, that's my move."
"And I made sure to give you all the credit." He flashed a grin and it was hard to resist the urge to kiss it off him.
But the feeling was fleeting as I turned back out to the open bay. "Even with the Forcadelian soldiers onboard, how can we be sure the Kulkans won't mutiny and turn around?"
"I left Aline in charge," he said. "And I have faith in her. Just like I have faith in you. And in us."
My gaze dropped to our joined hands, then back up, a smile teasing the corners of my lips. "Faith in us, huh?"
"In you, mostly," he said, leaning toward me. "And the rest of us will simply follow your lead."
"Nice to be followed again, I suppose."
"What can I say? I like the view."
He moved to kiss me, but I was faster, wrapping my hand around the base of his skull and curling my fingers in his short hair. Warmth shot from my mouth to every inch of my body, and I pulled his body close to mine, taking this moment and thanking the Mother for it.